BEST OF THE WEB
 Novell World-Wide |
Novell's Netware is nearly synonymous with local-area networking. Sure, there are other network operating systems (NOSes) available, but Netware is the market leader. The Novell World-Wide Web site shows why this company is still in the driver's seat.
You get the feeling of depth right from the main menu. Buttons provide you with NOS information, Novell's famous NetWire tech-support services, developer services, news, a cybershow, sales, and even online manuals to some products. There's also an innovative "Info Bar," which lets you select product categories of interest.
When you get past the home page, you can drill down to the product or product areas of choice, or use oodles of search tools, which find information on the Web site, Novell's FTP site, the NetWire technical database, or even within popular industry publications.
The CyberShow is a simulated trade show booth. Click on the part of the booth of interest (I went right for the hospitality suite, which had a comfy sofa and technical literature to read).
Even if you're not a Novell customer, you'll enjoy your tour of the company's Web site; if you are a customer, access to the NetWire database is enough to make this site worthy of at least one bookmark.
 Welcome to 3Com |
If you live in the San Francisco Bay area, you know 3Com as the company that bought the rights to rename Candlestick Park 3Com Park. If you live any place else, you know it as the firm that popularized Ethernet and now makes a wide variety of network hardware and software tools, including products for the Internet.
3Com's site is fancy, without being distracting. Effective use of solid colors is more attractive -- and less annoying -- than many other sites' confusing gray backgrounds. Plenty of links within nearly every document show the real meaning of hypertext; you can get where you want to go quickly and without fuss.
The product and technical information is organized by both product type (like hub or switch) or underlying technology (like Ethernet or ISDN). Can't find what you need? Drop down to the keyword search area.
You probably won't find much of value at the 3Com site unless you're a network administrator; most of the technical information is about those underlying technologies and products that go into LAN or WAN infrastructure. But of all the network hardware companies, 3Com has done the best job building an easy-to-use and friendly site�despite the whole "3Com Park" thing. And yes, that's covered in this site, too.
| (tie) Telecom Information Resources |
Interested in telecommunications? You should bookmark the Telecom Information Resources site, which claims to have links to more than 900 other sites of interest. I used this site's links while searching for the 25 best network/communications sites.
The range of information is extensive, from trade organizations to telecom operating companies. Each link includes a brief one-sentence description. Not all links are to top-quality sites, but I appreciate that there's a wide variety of resources to search. Another set of links brings you to various Frequently Asked Questions lists and reference tools -- I've never seen a more extensive listing.
When you're trying to drill down directly to a link, you can use the keyword search engine. If there's an area of frequent interest, such as broadcasters or university research centers, you can register your e-mail address on that particular page of the resource guide; you'll receive e-mail whenever that page is updated. Too few Web resource providers offer this handy option.
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| 4. The Consummate Winsock Apps List |
Winsock (Windows sockets) is the interface that Windows PCs require to work on the Internet; technically, Windows software, like Web browsers and FTP tools, are Winsock applications. Literally hundreds of Winsock applications are available -- from IRC tools and multimedia viewers to news readers -- and this site contains links to nearly all of them. Clearly organized by topic, the site lists the applications, describes and often reviews them, and then shows you where to download them. This is a "must visit" site for all Windows-based Internauts.
| 4.(tie) HP Network City |
Hewlett-Packard means more than nerdy pocket calculators and DeskJet printers; HP also makes a full line of network switches, hubs, routers, print servers, and network interface cards. At this attractively designed site, clear links take you through news, technologies, and products, and you can search for and download technical tips and software upgrades.
| 6. The Global Village Home Page |
Global Village is a well-known supplier of modems and communications software and servers in the PC and Mac markets. This well-organized and attractive site provides plenty of information about Global Village's products, plus links to freeware and shareware software.
| 7. Dan Kegel's ISDN Page |
For years, ISDN stood for "It Still Does Nothing." Now, it's one of the most affordable ways to run a high-speed Internet connection into the home or small business. Dan Kegel's site, although cluttered, is a gold mine of technical and consumer information about ISDN. You'll learn about the technology and find links to providers of ISDN services, hardware, and software, and more.
| 7.(tie) The Internet Business Center |
The Internet Business Center is an attractively designed and valuable source of information about the Internet itself. It provides free information, like statistics on the Internet's size and growth rate, plus great suggestions for building a better commercial Web site.
| 9. C|Net |
C|Net is an extensive Web site to which you must register to use -- but registration and use are free. Once you're inside C|Net, you'll find articles, features, columns, and other information about networking and communications.
| 9.(tie) Cisco Systems Inc. |
Cisco Systems Inc. is a leading vendor of enterprise networking hardware and software. Its site provides technical and specific information to registered Cisco customers plus product information for prospective customers. A bonus is Cisco's link to several online educational archives and resources, through its Global Schoolhouse Project.
| 9.(tie) The DALnet IRC Network |
DALnet is an IRC network that's professionally managed and has a great reputation. Although the Web pages don't access the IRC itself -- that's accomplished through other software -- the site provides a tremendous amount of information about IRC, DALnet, and links to related software and resources.
| 9.(tie) INTELSAT Home Page |
Whenver I visit Washington, D.C., I admire the beautiful buildings belonging to the International Telecommunications Satellite Organzation. Thanks to the Web, I can visit INTELSAT from anywhere and learn about its global satellite system. This fact-filled site tells you all about INTELSAT's space vehicles, gives lots of technical reference documents.
| 9.(tie) 100VG AnyLAN FAQ |
One of the two competing standards for the next-generation Ethernet is 100VG-AnyLAN, also known as IEEE 802.12. This unofficial FAQ, quickly helps you find answers to many 100VG-related questions plus hypertext links.
| 14. World Wide Web FAQ |
Providing answers to frequently asked questions about the Web sounds like an impossible task. It's not, and this site proves it. Although it doesn't answer every question, it's a great start.
| 14.(tie) Motorola Wireless Data Group |
Motorola's wireless data group is responsible for connecting your computer to a network via radio technology. Sound simple? This attractively designed site explains the big picture, through downloadable slide shows and speeches, and then tells you about the products, from personal communicators to wireless e-mail, in a way that's never boring.
| 14.(tie) AT&T Internet Toll Free 800 Directory |
Trying to find a company's toll-free number? You can call 1-800-555-1212 to speak to AT&T's toll-free directory operators -- or you can search the online directory. But only on the Web-based directory can you browse by category, or distinguish among a company's multiple 800-numbers.
| 17. Federal Communications Commission |
You'll find a variety of information here, some interesting, some useful, some both. But the FCC has clearly put some work into designing its site, especially the technical information from the Common Carrier, Wireless, Mass Media, and Cable bureaus. If you're following the debate about auctioning the airwaves, or about educational TV, you should have several FCC bookmarks in your browser.
| 17.(tie) The Ethernet Page |
Welcome to the Ethernet Page, a reference to two of the three major variations on the Ethernet scene -- 10Base-T and the so-called Fast Ethernet, 100Base-T. This site provides technical information and quick references to both 10Mbps and 100Mbps Ethernet, links to Ethernet software, papers, and reports, and various troubleshooting codes used to debug Ethernet-based LANs.
| 17.(tie) AT&T TalkingPower |
Everyone knows AT&T, but did you know that AT&T's Web site has a primer on how telephones work? Called "TalkingPower," this fun graphical site takes you behind the scenes of the phone system -- discussing phone calls, the central office, and the U.S. phone network.
| 17.(tie) CTI @ Dialogic: The Computer Telephony Home Page |
Dialogic is a company involved with computer telephony -- using your computer as a telephone system. This site provides clear technical and sales information about Dialogic's products, but more importantly, it offers a good tutorial on computer telephony and ISDN. The section called Dialogic University is a great place to start.
| 17.(tie) Gamelan: Directory and Registry of Java Resources |
When it comes to Java -- Sun Microsystem's new language for programming interactive HTML pages -- there's no better resource than Gamelan. Of course, you'll find links to Java add-ins for your favorite browser on this well-organized site. More important, you'll find extensive links to actual Java-equipped pages, all organized by category.
| 17.(tie) The Navas 28800 Modem FAQ |
This site is dedicated to distributing solid information about all brands of 28Kbps modems. Here you'll find news about modem manufacturers, hypertext links, plus answers to myriad questions about modems.
| 23. Curt's High Speed Modem Page |
If you're using the Internet from home or a small office, you're probably using a high-speed modem, but are you up to 33.6Kbps yet? You'll learn about those modems, and more, from this volunteer site. You'll find links to manufacturers and FAQs, discussion of basic technology, like 16550 UARTS, and even Windows modeming tips.
| 24. Ameritech-Your Link to Better Communication |
Ameritech is one of the Baby Bell spin-offs from AT&T, and its site offers the information you'd expect from a phone company. The site is nicely designed with clear icons, flagging information less than a month old for easy reference.
| 24.(tie) Interpage Network Services, Inc. |
Interpage Network Services offers traditional telecom services over the Internet, including fax transmission and reception, linking a site to a pager, and nationwide paging. The site is clearly organized and offers a free trial of INS's services.
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