next up previous contents
Next: User Education Up: Internet Interfaces Previous: Software and Operating Environments   Contents

Requirements

What expertise seems to be required to use each of these systems and capabilities?

Domain Knowledge of computers and internetworking is very helpful for understanding and using the current generation of Internet software and systems. An understanding of the information being presented or retrieved is also important. It does a user no good to enter an Archie search and get back 25 perfect ftp sites, directories, and filenames in a text file, if they do not understand: 1. what a file name is. 2. what a text file is 3. how to view or print a text file. 4. how to obtain the software listed in the Archie text file using an ftp utility.

In order to understand email addresses, telnet addresses, and ftp addresses, a user needs to understand the basic concept of internetworking--that all Internet interfaces and utilities will connect their desktop box to one or more machines located across the room or across the world. In order to capture and save valuable information, the user must understand the concept of files and directories--during a gopher session, a user may view a file without saving it to any local machine. In order to do this, the user must understand how to transfer, name, and how to access and manipulate the information again later. In order for the user to conduct a successful information search, they must understand the search logic of the system or software--does it accept Boolean operators? Can I use regular expressions in my search query? Will this utility simply match the first string I enter?




next up previous contents
Next: User Education Up: Internet Interfaces Previous: Software and Operating Environments   Contents

sean dreilinger

copyright  ©  May 18 2008 sean dreilinger url: http://durak.org/sean/pubs/internet-interfaces/node8.php