CYBERSPACE

As described by Wiliam Gibson in his science fiction novel Neuromancer,
cyberspace was a "Consensual hallucination that felt and looked like a physical space
but actuallly was a computer-generated construct representing abstract data." Years
later, mankind has realized that Gibson's vision is very close to reality. The term
cyberspace was frequently used to explain or describe the process in which two
computers connect with each other through various telephone lines. In this
communication between the two systems there seems to be no distance between them.
There are now four catagories that describe the major components of todays
cyber space. One oof those is commercial on-line services. These large computer
systems can host thousands of users simultaneously. When a computer user purchases
an account from the company they recieve a screen name and a password. The user
then can use his or her screen name and password to log on and use the system. Most
of the online systems have chat rooms where users can chat in real time with one
another. some users even think of on-line services as a community.
The second catagory involves Bulletin Boards or (BBS's). These services allow the
user accounts like their larger on-line service cousins. These BBS's have less users
because they run on smaller computers. The system operators, more commonly
known as sysops, are running the boards. Since most BBS's are hobbies there is
usually no charge for an account. The same as on-line services, users use BBS's for
trades, games, and to chat among other users. Since bulletin boeard are so easy to
set up there are thousands of them located around the world. Each board has a
theme. These themes range from astronomy to racist neo-nazi crap. A boards theme
helps users in their search for a board that will satisfy their personal preference.
A third catagory is the Private System. These private systems sometime run
bulletin boards privately, not letting the public acess. In these private systems users
can perform specialized computer operations, or access to data. Through this private
network users within a company can send mail, faxes, and other messages to each
other through the companies computer network. If a worker was to look up a
customers information he could access it through the companies private network. The
public can not get access to the companies private system unless he or she knows the
systems password.
The fourth and last catagory is computer networks. These collections are a group
of connected computers that exchange information. One of the most well known is
the internet. The internet is the so called "network of networks." Through the
internet a user can transfer files to and from systems. The program that allows this
is called (FTP) File Transfer Protocol. This program allows users to send anything
from faxes to software from one to another. The progam is taken from one computer
and sent across the phone lines to the recieving computer which compiles the
information.
In cyberspace their are a number of tools a user can use. E-mail is a popular tool
which allows the transfer of electronic mail between users. This mail more convenient
than postage mail because it travels over phone lines. Software exchange is also a
popular tool. Some systems sell software while other times it comes free of charge.
The FTP program is the reason for the speediness between transfers. Games and
entertainment are another resource. A user on-line can play a game against someone
who is hundreds of miles away. It is now possible to go shopping from the privacy of
your own computer not even having to leave your home. The chat rooms that are
mostly found on-line allow users to communicate with a variety of people together in a
virtual room. Sometimes services will allow guest speakers to have access to the
rooms so multiple users can ask questions. One popular resourse is education. A user
can find endless amounts of information either on the internet, on-line services, chat
rooms, or even personal computer software. The internet is bigger than any library
and it is possible to find any type of information needed.











As described by Wiliam Gibson in his science fiction novel Neuromancer,
cyberspace was a "Consensual hallucination that felt and looked like a physical space
but actuallly was a computer-generated construct representing abstract data." Years
later, mankind has realized that Gibson's vision is very close to reality. The term
cyberspace was frequently used to explain or describe the process in which two
computers connect with each other through various telephone lines. In this
communication between the two systems there seems to be no distance between them.
There are now four catagories that describe the major components of todays
cyber space. One oof those is commercial on-line services. These large computer
systems can host thousands of users simultaneously. When a computer user purchases
an account from the company they recieve a screen name and a password. The user
then can use his or her screen name and password to log on and use the system. Most
of the online systems have chat rooms where users can chat in real time with one
another. some users even think of on-line services as a community.
The second catagory involves Bulletin Boards or (BBS's). These services allow the
user accounts like their larger on-line service cousins. These BBS's have less users
because they run on smaller computers. The system operators, more commonly
known as sysops, are running the boards. Since most BBS's are hobbies there is
usually no charge for an account. The same as on-line services, users use BBS's for
trades, games, and to chat among other users. Since bulletin boeard are so easy to
set up there are thousands of them located around the world. Each board has a
theme. These themes range from astronomy to racist neo-nazi crap. A boards theme
helps users in their search for a board that will satisfy their personal preference.
A third catagory is the Private System. These private systems sometime run
bulletin boards privately, not letting the public acess. In these private systems users
can perform specialized computer operations, or access to data. Through this private
network users within a company can send mail, faxes, and other messages to each
other through the companies computer network. If a worker was to look up a
customers information he could access it through the companies private network. The
public can not get access to the companies private system unless he or she knows the
systems password.
The fourth and last catagory is computer networks. These collections are a group
of connected computers that exchange information. One of the most well known is
the internet. The internet is the so called "network of networks." Through the
internet a user can transfer files to and from systems. The program that allows this
is called (FTP) File Transfer Protocol. This program allows users to send anything
from faxes to software from one to another. The progam is taken from one computer
and sent across the phone lines to the recieving computer which compiles the
information.
In cyberspace their are a number of tools a user can use. E-mail is a popular tool
which allows the transfer of electronic mail between users. This mail more convenient
than postage mail because it travels over phone lines. Software exchange is also a
popular tool. Some systems sell software while other times it comes free of charge.
The FTP program is the reason for the speediness between transfers. Games and
entertainment are another resource. A user on-line can play a game against someone
who is hundreds of miles away. It is now possible to go shopping from the privacy of
your own computer not even having to leave your home. The chat rooms that are
mostly found on-line allow users to communicate with a variety of people together in a
virtual room. Sometimes services will allow guest speakers to have access to the
rooms so multiple users can ask questions. One popular resourse is education. A user
can find endless amounts of information either on the internet, on-line services, chat
rooms, or even personal computer software. The internet is bigger than any library
and it is possible to find any type of information needed.






As described by Wiliam Gibson in his science fiction novel Neuromancer,
cyberspace was a "Consensual hallucination that felt and looked like a physical space
but actuallly was a computer-generated construct representing abstract data." Years
later, mankind has realized that Gibson's vision is very close to reality. The term
cyberspace was frequently used to explain or describe the process in which two
computers connect with each other through various telephone lines. In this
communication between the two systems there seems to be no distance between them.
There are now four catagories that describe the major components of todays
cyber space. One oof those is commercial on-line services. These large computer
systems can host thousands of users simultaneously. When a computer user purchases
an account from the company they recieve a screen name and a password. The user
then can use his or her screen name and password to log on and use the system. Most
of the online systems have chat rooms where users can chat in real time with one
another. some users even think of on-line services as a community.
The second catagory involves Bulletin Boards or (BBS's). These services allow the
user accounts like their larger on-line service cousins. These BBS's have less users
because they run on smaller computers. The system operators, more commonly
known as sysops, are running the boards. Since most BBS's are hobbies there is
usually no charge for an account. The same as on-line services, users use BBS's for
trades, games, and to chat among other users. Since bulletin boeard are so easy to
set up there are thousands of them located around the world. Each board has a
theme. These themes range from astronomy to racist neo-nazi crap. A boards theme
helps users in their search for a board that will satisfy their personal preference.
A third catagory is the Private System. These private systems sometime run
bulletin boards privately, not letting the public acess. In these private systems users
can perform specialized computer operations, or access to data. Through this private
network users within a company can send mail, faxes, a