Let's dissect Netscape Navigator

This is Netscape Communicator

Ok, in spite of the page's title, this pictures depicts Netscape Communicator instead of Netscape Navigator. But this isn't a problem, because I'm not showing all Communicator's features here, but - I think - only the most important features. So you shouldn't see any difference between the two programs' features. Ok, let's go...

• New (Ctrl+N) - When you click here, you open a new Navigator's window (so you can download more than one web page).
• Open Page (Ctrl+O) - Click here to specify a new URL (however you can also specify an URL typing it into the 'location' field under the standard toolbar).
• Save as... (Ctrl+S) - When you click here you can save a web page on your hard disk (if you are inside of a frame, you have to choose the 'Save Frame As...' option).
• Edit Page - You can edit the page which you are visiting.

• Cut (Ctrl+X), Copy (Ctrl+C) and Paste (Ctrl+V) - You can cut, copy and paste a piece of the downloaded web page.
• Find (Ctrl+F) - To find a text string inside of the downloaded web page.

Now, by clicking on the Preferences item, a pop-up menu will be shown:

Here you can specify the start page (the first page shown by Navigator). If you don't want a start page (for example your page inside of your hard disk containing some helpful links such as your favorites search engines) you can specify a blank page. Besides you can specify the number of days to keep pages into the history file. You can see the history file's content by pressing the 'Ctrl+H' buttons. Finally you can delete all files contained inside of the history file by clicking on the 'Clear History' button.

Here you can specify which programs to use to open files contained into the downloaded web pages (just click on the 'Application' item). You can add/edit/remove a file type, by pressing the New Type/Edit/Remove buttons. For example: suppose you want to install a new helper (programs who open corresponding files's formats are called helper) to read PDF files (Portable Document Format). Well, you need a software program called 'Acrobat reader'. So by pressing the New Type button you will get this window:

As you can see you have to specify the MIME type (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, a protocol developed to send multimedia objects like pictures - such as gif images - sounds - such as midi files - and so on, by mail. Mail format was described by RFC 822 and now extended thanks to MIME). In this case the MIME type is: application/pdf. Then you have to say to Navigator which program will open pdf files (in this case AcroRd32.exe, that's acrobat reader). Finally - very important - you can say to Navigator that you want to be warned when it encounter a pdf file (Ask me before opening downloaded files of this type). Now let's go back to the previous window and let's see the other Advanced preferences:

• Automatically load images - When this field is checked you will be able to see pages and images, but if this field is unchecked, you will be able to see only text of pages. So web pages will download faster. However you can enable image's downloading when you prefer (for example if you think that page could contain interesting pictures). You have 2 chances: you can see ALL images or just THE image you prefer. When this fiels is checked, the toolbar will be shown so:

On the contrary, when that field is unchecked, the toolbar will be shown so:

As you can see, there is another button: Images. When you click on that button, you will be able to see ALL images again. However, if you want to see one only image, you can:

• Point the mouse pointer over the choosen image
• Click the right mouse button (a pop-up menu will be appear)
• Click on 'Show Image'

Ok, let's go back to the previous menu (Advanced). Here you can:

• Enable Java, Javascript and Style Sheets
• Send email address as anonymous FTP password. You have to know that you should send your email address as anonymous FTP password, because so the FTP site's owner can write some statistics. This is a kind of courtesy, as suggested by the 'netiquette'.
• Enable all cookies
• Disable all cookies
• Enable only cookies that get sent back to the originating server
• Get a warning when you receive a cookie

Here you can define the Memory Cache and the Disk Cache space. Besides you can specify the folder where the Disk Cache is located. When you surf on the web, all pages you will encounter will be stored inside a piece of your hard disk: the Disk Cache. So every times you will visit an already visited page, Navigator will pick up it from the Disk Cache instead of the Internet. In other words your navigation will be quicker. If you specify a very little space here, when the Disk Cache will be full, navigation will slow down. So, if you haven't space problems on your hard disk, specify a quite large space amount here. Finally Navigator asks you when it has to compare document in cache to document on network: if you specify 'never', Navigator will show to you pages stored in your hard disk EVERY TIME. On the contrary if you specify 'Every time', you will NEVER get pages stored in your hard disk. Memory Cache defines your PC's RAM space to be used by Navigator. You have to balance it according to your RAM's size (RAM stands for Random Access Memory and it is the 'memory' contained inside of your PC. If you use Windows95 beware of the 'virtual memory' system: Win95 'sucks' a lot of RAM, so don't 'steal' it to the operating system).

Here you can specify a PROXY server (if your ISP supports a proxy, of course). A proxy server is a huge 'disk' where all frequenty visited pages are stored (a sort of Disk Cache). The purpose is the same of the Disk Cache: downloading will be quicker. However, if you can use a proxy, you have to check the field: 'Manual proxy configuration'. Then you have to press the 'View' button. Ask to your ISP parameters that you have to type here.

Finally I'm going to show you how to use this browser only by means of the keyboard, because sometimes it's faster pressing one or two keys than taking the mouse, moving it, choosing an item inside a popup menu and clicking...

Just another thing: press the right key of your mouse and a pop-up menu will help you.