Preface to the 2nd Web Posting
The
first edition of this Users’ Guide was completed in October
1996. The printed version was available for distribution in
January 1997. Since then, it has been an amazing experience for
the author. I have received hundreds of email messages from users
of the GIAS system, appreciating this guide, and its Web posting.
There is no greater satisfaction to an author than to realize
that his work is being used by the readers. It has invoked a
feeling of contentment that no other effort has afforded thus
far. It has also provided the necessary encouragement for
continuing to improve on the first edition. Now you, the readers,
have an improved edition.
In this edition, support for TCP/IP account users has been
increased. In fact support for Mac users is also included. Some
additional sections dealing with roaming facility and logging on
to your account from any city that has a VSNL server have been
included. A section on how to access the Newsgroups via pine has
been given in Chapter 14. And of course, the errors that both the
users and the readers of the manual have pointed out, have been
attended to.
I would like to thank the
people who contributed directly to this edition. Primarily they
are the technical team at VSNL Mumbai, who have taken great pains
to see that this work comes out just right. Specifically Mr.
Neeraj Sonker, Mr. Deepak Mittal, Mr. Rajneesh Kumar and Ms.
Swarnlata have provided very valuable feedback that has led to
considerable improvement of the Guide.
Many users have provided valuable feedback and encouragement for
this edition, especially one student account holder from
Bangalore, K. Aruna. It never ceases
to amaze the author that the online friendships in cyberspace,
with people one never sees face-to-face or ever hopes to meet in
person, can make as much of a contribution to one's life and work
as our traditional relationships in 4-space.
Dr.Raj Mehta
August 17,1997
Mumbai, India
A poem
Wish
Wish
I write
like the bird that sings,
like the flower that blooms,
like the tree that grows,
for no reason
for no one.
singing is Tao,
blooming is Tao,
growing is Tao,
writing is Tao,
Its life-- fulfillment.
Dr. Raj Mehta
Dec. 15, 1996
Preface to
First Web Posting
My journey into
Internet started on a rainy day, not unlike today, in July 1989.
I was consultant to Comstruct Software Pvt. Ltd. (CSPL), who were
technical affiliates of National Center for
Software Technology (NCST).
That day, Dhirendra Morarji, MD of CSPL, and I were visiting NCST
and Dr. S. Ramani mentioned that CSPL was entitled to use ERNET.
He then logged on to a computer in Canada. It was the time when
the fastest data communication speed was 9600 bauds. As Dr. S.
Ramani, typed commands on the terminal, it took about 1 to 2
seconds to echo the key strokes. As I watched the screen, and saw
the commands being executed on a distant computer in Canada,
lights flashed in my brain. I was fascinated and saw the immense
potential of this technology in all walks of life. I used NCST's
ERNET when in India and a friend's account at Stanford
University, when I was in California, to access the Internet. At
every opportunity, with an evangelistic zeal, I encouraged
friends to use Internet.
Then on August 15, 1995 VSNL
started to give access to Internet. I encouraged everyone in
sight, who had a computer, to get on the NET. I did not realize
then, that the task to teach the usage of the GIAS system, to all
the friends I had encouraged, would come to me. To my surprise, I
enjoyed tutoring, to convey to my friends over the phone the
keystrokes that would accomplish a given task. Also, it was a
surprise to me that I had the needed skill to teach about
Internet and specifically to inculcate in them the spirit of
experimentation - to discover different ways one can use
Internet.
A thought emerged, why not write a
book to empower Internet users at large, so that they do not feel
intimidated. by this new technology. Thus this book was
conceived. After a few initial chapters, the hard disk which had
the material of this book crashed. Of course I did not have the
back-up. I was feeling very disheartened. About this time I
showed whatever I wrote to VSNL personnel. It was their
encouragement that propelled me to rewrite the chapters which
were lost and to finish the book. Now you the reader have the
result in your hand.
At this time I would like to
express my gratitude to people who have contributed to this book
directly. First of all my thanks are due to Mr. B.K. Syngal of
VSNL for being instrumental in bringing Internet to India and
thus providing me opportunity to explore the Internet further. I
am also, indebted to VSNL's technical team for contributing to
the content of the appendices, for their editorial help and
providing constant encouragement through all phases of writing
this book . My special thanks to Dr. Juri Vilms and Mr.
James LaBrie both of Palo
Alto, California, for help in editing the chapters. Incidentally
this was done, in the true Internet style-- chapters flying back
an forth via email. My thanks are due to Ajoy Bhawnani for their
contribution to the material of chapter on IRC. I am indebted to
Mr. Neelkanth Shanbhag (of V-Care Computers) for providing me the
hardware to gather the material for this book.
I am taking this opportunity to thank people who have helped and
are continuing to help me learn more about Internet. Specifically
Al Whaley, Jim Weaver,
Lumir and Jarmila Kovacik, Ravindra Agrawal, Susan Adkins, Vipul Shah,
Dinyar Lala, Jhankar Shah, Sarita Agrawal, Suchit Nanda,
Hiren Bose, Lynden Cerejo, Valentine de Souza, Dr. S. Ramani, Piyush
Tantia, and Narendra Goel. My very heartfelt gratitude to my
sister Shashi Mehta and my friend Minal Morarji for continuing
emotional support during this venture.
Dr. Raj Mehta
July 20, 1996
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