Welcome To Internet Island

a Fable for the New Millennium

There exists a magical island, located not so far away, called Internet Island. On Internet Island there are beautiful houses, fabulous shopping malls, museums, art galleries, libraries, a wide variety of entertainment-and an almost unlimited potential for future development.

Because of the climate, beauty and attractions on Internet Island, a large tourism industry has grown to accommodate those who want to visit. In addition, a large real estate development industry has emerged to accommodate those who want to build a permanent place of their own on Internet Island.

The fable of Internet Island is told in two parts, a guide to visiting, and a guide to building on the island.

Getting Ready to Visit

Visiting Internet Island is easy. Visitors need to arrange for only five items prior to their visit: a Ferry Service, a Ferry Hitch, a Docking Service, a Car, and an Internet Island Touring Package.

Ferry Service

Before the explosive development on Internet Island, there was only one ferry service. This original service is still in operation and is still the most widely used because the overall costs are low.

As development on Internet Island grew, new companies began providing "enhanced" ferry service to the island. These new companies typically offer faster service, monthly passes and included docking service (see below). With a monthly pass, a visitor could make as many trips to the island as they desired and stay as long as they wanted-for a fixed monthly price.

Ferry Hitch

A Ferry Hitch is a special device used to attach the car to the ferry. There are several "standard" hitches in general use, so make sure your Ferry Service and Ferry Hitch are compatible.

Docking Service

Some ferry services have their own docks on the island. Others do not. For those that do not, it will be necessary to arrange for docking service prior to your visit.

Car

Since there is no public transportation on Internet Island, visitors must have their own cars. In addition, because of the unique navigation system, the car must be equipped with an Internet Island Touring Package (see below).

As Internet Island's popularity has grown, most cars now provide the Internet Island Touring Package as a standard feature.

Internet Island Touring Package

A Touring Package allows the driver to enter a destination address from the keyboard and be automatically taken to that destination. As noted above, most modern cars come with an Internet Island Touring Package as standard equipment.

Getting Around

Once you are on Internet Island, getting around is easy.

If you know the address you want to visit, you simply enter the address using the Internet Island Touring Package keyboard. Press "Enter" and you will be transported there automatically.

If you do not know the address, there are some special locations on Internet Island devoted to helping visitors find what they are looking for. These "Search Services" are similar to the familiar "Yellow Page" directories. Like the Yellow Page directories, they are free to visitors. Entering the address of your favorite Search Service into the Internet Island Touring Package will, as before, take you to that Search Service location. Once there, you provide information about what you are looking for, and will be given a list of relevant addresses to explore.

Reading The Language

Like many new phenomenon, the Island's new industries have spawned a language of their own. Here you can find a brief translation of common terms used on the Island:

Car: Computer, PC.; (for example, an ITS PC).
Ferry Service, Original: POTS, Plain Old Telephone Service.; (A regular phone line from Ameritech).
Ferry Service, Enhanced: DSL, Digital Subscriber Line.; (DSL service from ITS and MegaPath includes: the Ferry Service, Ferry Hitch, and Docking Service for one fixed monthly fee).
Ferry Hitch: Modem or DSL router.; (Compatible with the Enhanced Ferry Service, a DSL router will hold the car to the ferry at speeds up to 1,560k, thirty times faster than 56k modems).
Docking Service: ISP, Internet Service Provider.; (MegaPath, AOL, MindSpring, XNet).
Touring Package: Internet browser.; (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator).
Search Service: Search engine, search site.; (Yahoo, Excite!, AltaVista).
Internet Island Address: Domain name, URL, web site, web page, home page.; (www.teamITS.com).

Settling Down

In the next issue, we will discuss getting a place of your own on Internet Island. Topics include reserving or purchasing a lot, registering the address, design and construction, and lastly, directing others to your location.

November 1999

Send this article to a friend!
Subscribe to The ITS Connection

Related articles

Areas of Interest

Web Site Hosting