FAQ
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What do I need to get on to the internet?
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Is my telephone on the whole time I am on the Net?
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Can I
get viruses from the Net?
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Can
people gain access/hack into my computer through the Net?
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How do I
get an e-mail address?
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Must my
modem be connected to receive e-mail?
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Can I
send faxes or access Beltel through the Internet?
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Is spam
filtered for me?
You must
acquire the necessary hardware :
You need at least a computer with a 486
motherboard, 16 megabytes of RAM, and a modem capable of at least 14.4
bits per second data transfer rate (the faster the better), and a
telephone line. These days, it is very difficult to find any hardware
that is this slow and feeble, but these are the minimum specs.
We do the rest.
Yes. Your telephone line provides your
connection to the Internet and the data flows to and from your computer
via the telephone line. Once your telephone connection has been broken,
you are no longer connected to the Internet. It is always a good idea to
verify (by observing that the CD light on the modem is on or by observing
the modem activity icons on the taskbar) that you are still connected if
you notice problems with browsing or e-mail delivery.
Yes. There is a real danger of getting
viruses from downloading files from disreputable sites onto your computer,
although it is relatively rare. We recommend that you buy an Antivirus
product, such as Norton Anti-Virus in order to protect yourself against
viruses. SoftNet employs good virus scanning technology at the server,
but there is always a chance that something new slips through.
Yes, although the chance of it actually
happening is very, very small. Should someone with the necessary skills
decide to try hard enough, and not enough precaution is exercised by
yourself, such as finishing your session on the Internet, but leaving your
modem connected, therefore providing someone with a path into your
computer, it can happen. We recommend installing something like ZoneAlarm.
Your Internet Service Provider usually
gives an e-mail address to you, and it usually is made up of your
username@yourisp.co.za, for example, johnsmith@soft.co.za.
Your modem must be on in order to
download your mail from the SoftNet server, but your modem does not need
to be connected at the same instant that someone would like to send you an
e-mail, as all the messages you receive are stored on our server until you
dial up and collect them.
You can, just as long as you have the
necessary software to do these tasks, which can easily be downloaded from
the Internet.
Yes. SoftNet uses sophisticated spam
blocking technologies based on a combination of heuristic filters,
Bayesian learning and pattern matching. This blocks most spam at the
server. However, when a message is difficult to categorize, it is tagged
instead and passed on, in case the recipient actually wanted the
questionable material.
Author information goes here.
Copyright © 1996-2005 [SoftNet Internet Services]. All rights reserved.
Revised:
January 19, 2005 .
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