Introduction and Note from the Author ===================================== The interest in the internet is rather large and growing, with a lot of people trying to find ways of "surfing" (browsing) the World Wide Web using just their Psion 3a and their CompuServe account. I have been doing exactly this, using no more than the standard supplied Psion 3a programs, CompuServe and ReadCIS v1.6.1 (and also v1.1, v1.5 & v1.6), and now would like to share my experiences with the Psion community and also get some feedback from users. Please bear in mind that what I have written here comes from my own experience - I am not an internet expert or a computer expert by any means, just a curious user, and thus there may well be errors in my explanations of some of the internet features and functions. Any feedback is appreciated. Written by: Jochen Siegenthaler [100127,3167] Created: Sunday 6 August 1995 Updated: Thursday 2 April 1996 HOW TO SURF THE WORLD WIDE WEB USING A PSION 3a =============================================== Introduction ------------ Many people talk about "surfing" (browsing) the internet, and more specifically, the World Wide Web (WWW or just web). Browsing is a method of going from internet site to internet site and looking at document, image or sound files. Previously any connections made on the internet were made with powerful workstations using text interfaces, and so many of the programs developed for the internet started with a text user interface (TUI). Recently, simple-to-use graphical-user-interface (GUI) browser programs for PCs have appeared. These include NCSA Mosaic, NetScape and CompuServe's own program Spry Mosaic. However, all the GUI programs are designed for common personal computer (PC) operating systems - i.e.: Windows and Macintosh. The Psion Series 3 uses an EPOC operating system, and programs that run on the Psion must be written specifically for EPOC. Currently there are some GUI web browsers for the EPOC operating system under development, using a TCP/IP stack written specifically for the Psion 3a, however these are not yet in the beta-testing stage. I anticipate seeing something around the end of 1996. However, as the internet started with TUIs, it should be possible to program or find or write a TUI to work with the Psion 3a. TUI Web Browsers and the Psion 3a --------------------------------- As far as I know, no-one as yet has written a TUI web browser for the Psion 3a. But this doesn't matter, as there are a number of very good TUI web browsers "out there". All we have to do is find one, connect to it, and use it via some sort of "remote control". Remote control of computers has been with us for years, and is described as a "terminal interface", where the local machine (the Psion) acts as a remote control of the remote machine (the host). Normally, the host is very powerful and has a lot of processing power (a workstation). The terminal then becomes just an input (keyboard) and output (screen) device. Terminal Interfaces and the Psion 3a ------------------------------------ Terminal interfaces have been standardised to some extent, and many of you will recognise the names TTY, vt100, vt220, vt300, ANSI, 3270 etc., which are all just different types of terminal interfaces. Vt100 is pretty much the standard terminal interface, and almost all hosts on the internet will support vt100. However, the Psion 3a has no built-in vt100 support - the Psion 3a only has a simple TTY, or "dumb" ASCII terminal. Getting Around the vt100 Problem -------------------------------- One way of getting around the problem of not having a vt100 terminal is to buy the vt100 software and install it in the Psion 3a. You can then use one of the public (free access) web browsers, as almost all support vt100 terminals. But some hosts will automatically disconnect you when they receive information that you are using a non-vt100 (or vt200, vt220 etc.) terminal. CompuServe registers a TTY terminal as an "other" type, and tells all hosts that it connects to set the terminal type to "other". Some hosts will respond with "I don't know what terminal you're using" and then disconnect you, as they do not recognise an "other" type of terminal. However, I have been surfing the net without vt100, using just the standard Comms application, which is a nothing more than a TTY terminal. All you have to do is find a host that supports a TTY terminal. This turns out to be the biggest (but not insurmountable) problem to getting up and running on the web. Web Browsers for TTY Terminals ------------------------------ To date (02 April 1996), I have found three host sites that have public (free access) web browsers that support TTY terminals. However one of these sites changed it's operating system and is now no longer accessible to the Psion 3a, but we still have two other sites to choose from. These are: telnet.w3.org Run by the Web Organisation itself. info.cern.ch Run by CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland. No login or password is required at either site. (This will probably be enough information for experienced users to get started, but beginners should keep on reading). How to Connect to the Web Browser --------------------------------- The web browser running at these sites is what is termed a "host". We must somehow connect to the host' site and then use the web browser with our Psion. The web browser itself is called the "LineMode Browser", and is the same browser in each site. The host connection is done with CompuServe's GO TELNET feature. About Telnet ------------ Telnet is a function that allows you to connect to a remote internet site, and then use the facilities at that site as if you were locally connected, provided you have the necessary authorisation to connect. If the site is on to the internet, then you can telnet to the site from anywhere else in the internet, i.e.: anywhere in the world. The most important requirement for telnet is the address of the site, known as it's host name (site name) and also internet- protocol (IP) address. Site host name IP address Web Org telnet.w3.org 193.51.208.68 CERN info.cern.ch 128.141.201.214 Once you connect to a site, you normally are requested to enter a logon and password, although this depends entirely on how the site is set up. Both these browser sites require _no_ logon or password, which just makes things easier, and means that anyone can connect. Using CIS Telnet ---------------- (CIS = CompuServe Information Service) OK, for most of you it will be a simple matter to GO TELNET and connect to the site, but here's a detailed (step-by-step) look at how to connect with CIS using the Psion 3a. 1) At the CIS ! prompt, type "GO TELNET" 2) After a few seconds, you will see the following menu: 1 About Telnet 2 New Telnet Feature (16 June 95) 3 Telnet Disclaimer 4 Frequently Asked Questions 5 Telnet Feedback 6 Telnet Site Descriptions 7 List of Sites (I) 8 Access a Specific Site (I) 3) Choose option 8 - just press "8" and 4) You will then be prompted "Site Name:". Now you must enter the name of the site that you wish to telnet to, so just type "telnet.w3.org" or "info.cern.ch" and press . Make sure the address is spelt correctly! 5) CompuServe will then display a disclaimer notice - read this, and then press at the "MORE !" prompt. 6) CompuServe will then try to connect to the host - this can take some time if the internet or CompuServe itself is very busy. Be patient. 7) If all is well and you get no error messages from CompuServe, an introductory screen will be shown, and you are now connected to the LineMode Browser. If CompuServe could not find the site, try again but this time use the IP address at the "Site Name:" prompt. Hints on Using the LineMode Browser ----------------------------------- The web browser you can connect to is called the "LineMode Browser" or LMB for short. The LMB believes it will be displaying on an 80 x 25 screen, so your should choose the smallest font on the Psion - just press Psion-Z until the smallest font appears. Some key browser commands are: Press G and enter the URL to GO to a URL. Press by itself for the next page. Press H and at any time for help. Press Q and to quit. Press B and to go back a page. Press any number surrounded by square brackets and then i.e.: [2] to jump to a linked reference. A linked reference is a built-in link to more information (other documents) that does not necessarily have to be in the same host. I have jumped all around the world just following links. Try it - soon you'll get the hang of it. The G (Go) command is the command to take you to a web site of your choice - enter "Go ", where URL is the web address of the site you wish to contact. The web addresses are easily recognised because they normally start off with http://. Good Places to Start Surfing on the Web --------------------------------------- Before you start surfing, I find it is good to log your online session (set ReadCIS switch LOG.ON) and then review it when you have finished browsing to see where you have been. But be careful: in a few minutes browsing, the readcis.log file can get quite large (I had 112 kilobytes after 15 minutes). If you do not know where to find a web site, use the Webcrawler and look for a site. Make sure you choose the "Search without forms" option in Webcrawler, as the LMB does not support forms. For places to start surfing, try these URLs: http://webcrawler.com (use this to find web sites) http://www.atlanta.olympic.org (the 1996 olympics) http://www.hp.com (Hewlett Packard) http://www.sony.com (Sony) What is ReadCIS? ---------------- If you do not know what ReadCIS is, then I strongly recommend that you GO PALMTOP (on CompuServe, not on the Web!) and look at the file READCIS.TXT in library 18. ReadCIS is a CompuServe access program for the Psion 3a which greatly simplifies CompuServe access and reduces your connect times (ie: reduces your CompuServe bill!). Automation of the Connection to the Web Browser ----------------------------------------------- I have written a script for the Psion 3a which automates the logon process to the web browser. The script is called WebCIS, and is designed to integrate with ReadCIS v1.6 (and later). The script also offers other useful features designed to help you work with CIS telnet and the Internet. Look for the file WEBCIS.ZIP in CompuServe's Palmtop forum library 18 and _please_ read the WEBCIS.DBF file first - this can be read in ReadCIS' "Read Documentation" (Psion-H) feature. The WEBCIS.DBF file is included in the WEBCIS.ZIP archive. Feedback -------- I would appreciate any and all feedback about what I have written here. Most important: If anyone knows of any web sites that offer public access browsers (the LineMode Browser appears to be the only TUI browser program out there) which supports linemode operation then please tell me, as I wish to incorporate them into my WebCIS script. Please direct any feedback to the following addresses: internet: jochen.siegenthaler@alcatel.ch (I read this more often than CompuServe) CompuServe: 100127,3167 Author: Jochen Siegenthaler (100127,3167) Date: Thursday 2 April 1996